Francisco Javier Echeverría

Infobox_President | name=Francisco Javier Echeverría
nationality=Mexican
small

term_start=September 22, 1841
term_end=October 10, 1841
order=President of Mexico
predecessor=Anastasio Bustamante
successor=Antonio López de Santa Anna
birth_date=ca. July 2, 1797
birth_place=Jalapa, Veracruz
dead=dead
death_date=death date|1852|9|17|mf=y
death_place=Mexico City
spouse=Refugio Almanza
party=Conservative
vicepresident=

Francisco Javier Echeverría (Jalapa, Veracruz, c. July 2, 1797 – September 17, 1852 in Mexico City) was a Mexican businessman and conservative and centralist politician. He served as president of Mexico in late 1841 for a few weeks.

Background

Francisco Javier Echeverría was born in Jalapa, Veracruz. In his youth he worked in his family's commercial firm, but soon entered politics. He was elected a deputy in the local congress in 1829. In 1834 he moved to Mexico City, where he headed the family firm of Viuda de Echeverría y Hijos.

National politics

President Antonio López de Santa Anna named him secretary of the treasury. He served in this position from May 5, 1834 to September 1 of the same year, when he resigned over disagreements with the government of Santa Anna.

Two years later he was a member of the Council of State under Anastasio Bustamante, in the latter's second term as president. Echeverría was again secretary of the treasury, still under Bustamante (July 27, 1839 to March 23, 1841). This was after the Pastry War with France, and the treasury was bankrupt. His commercial firm lent 662,000 pesos to the government in copper, receiving payment in silver. He was much attacked for this in the press. He imposed a tax of 3 per 1,000 on rural and urban property and raised the consumption tax 10%. He wanted to amortize the copper coinage through an agreement with the tobacco firms. By these and other measures he greatly improved the situation of the treasury.

President of Mexico

On September 21, 1841 Congress named him interim president of Mexico, while Bustamante was in the field leading troops against his enemies. Echeverría held the office of president until October 10. He left office when the Liberals returned to power. He retired from politics for a time, but made his return in 1850, as a congressional deputy.

Later he was president of the committee on prisons and also of the Academy of San Carlos. The Academy prospered under his leadership, acquiring its own building, attracting European teachers, and gaining a reputation as the best fine arts academy in America. He was founder and first director of a reformatory for young men.

References

*es icon "Echeverría, Francisco Javier," "Enciclopedia de México", v. 4. Mexico City, 1996, ISBN 1-56409-016-7.
*es icon García Puron, Manuel, "México y sus gobernantes", v. 2. Mexico City: Joaquín Porrua, 1984.
*es icon Orozco Linares, Fernando, "Gobernantes de México". Mexico City: Panorama Editorial, 1985, ISBN 968-38-0260-5.